HASSA (Turkey) (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday launched a new air and ground operation to oust a Kurdish militia from their northern Syrian enclave, defying US warnings that the action risked further destabilising the area after almost seven years of civil war.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly vowed that Turkey would root out the "nests of terror" in Syria of the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia which Turkey deems a terror organisation.
The launch came despite warnings that the operation could be militarily tough against an already battle-hardened foe and complicate relations with both Washington and Moscow.
Turkey's army said operation "Olive Branch" began at 1400 GMT and was aimed at the YPG and Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
Among the targets hit was the YPG-held Minnigh military airport north of Aleppo, the army said.
It said 108 targets were struck and that all casualties were Kurdish militants.
A total of 72 aircraft took part in the initial onslaught, it added, saying all returned safely to base. IS targets were also destroyed, it said.
Saturday's attacks killed 10 people, a YPG spokesman in the northern Syrian region of Afrin, an area the militia controls, said.
"Seven civilians were killed, including a child, as well as two female fighters and one male fighter," said Birusk Hasakeh, adding that the child was an eight-year-old boy.
January 21, 2018 www.yahoo.com
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